Unbeaten Dawgs Keep Finding Ways To Come Out On Top 
The Berwick Bulldogs May Not Be As Dominant A Team As In Years Past, But The 
Dawgs Still Are Finding Ways To Win.

Account Made To Aid Orphaned Teenagers 
A Special Bank Account Has Been Set Up To Raise Money For Three Orphaned 
Luzerne County Teenagers Who Are Trying To Pay For Their Mother's Funeral 
Expenses.

By MARY THERESE BIEBEL; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, October 06, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C 





Sherryl Evans waved an incense reed, burning and fragrant, in the direction
of two visitors to her shop. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I smudged you," she said, explaining the gesture as a blessing that would
enhance understanding and clarity of thought. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Welcome to Heaven, a New Age store on Route 115 in Blakeslee, where Evans
and her husband, Larry Rasimas, dispense incense, candles, jewelry and artwork
along with information about "white magic," which they see as a positive force
for good. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "People who deal in holistic medicine and white magic are trying to lift
people up," Rasimas said early last week. "In black magic, you find the kind
of people who are trying to control." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The couple say they want to lift people up, to help them reach their
highest potential. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If anyone comes here looking for black magic, we turn them around," said
Evans, who describes herself as both a Christian and a Wiccan, or witch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We tell them to listen to Christ the master," Rasimas added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The couple -- parents of three children ages 5 to 12 -- also want to set
the record straight about the occult, and have offered to answer questions
from other parents who might be worried about a young person's attraction to
the mystical. Their phone number is 646-4909. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After the apparent suicide of two local youths whom authorities said had
"dabbled in the occult," speculation has focused on how much influence the
occult as well as drugs, alcohol and so-called "death metal" music could have
played in their decision to die. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Evans and Rasimas say their philosophy is against suicide. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "And ye harm none, do what ye will," Evans said, quoting a Wiccan rule.
"This is the vessel of the spirit," she added, tapping her shoulders
vigorously. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While Rasimas said drugs and alcohol make an individual vulnerable and
depressed, he saved his harshest criticism for death metal music. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I've heard it and it makes me ill," he said. "(Listeners are not) going to
go looking to take a rose to their girlfriend. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We had the pleasure of growing up with Bob Dylan and the Moody Blues, a
peaceful sound." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One popular misconception they want to dispel is the meaning of a pentacle
or pentagram. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "For centuries, it's been a sign of good luck," Evans said, pointing with
pride to the symbol, which her husband etched into a mirror and gave to her as
a Mother's Day gift. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Its five points stand for earth, air, fire, water and Akasha -- or Spirit
-- all positive things, Evans said. Only when the five-pointed star is
inverted does it point down to the dark side. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And there is a dark side, the couple insist. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The whole world consists of good and evil," said Rasimas, an artist whose
air-brushed T-shirts decorate the walls of the store. "Every single book ever
written has a good guy and a bad guy. It's never about two good guys
fighting." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The couple present their beliefs as helpful, ancient knowledge that can
bring peace, harmony and acceptance into a person's life. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's the ways of the old folk," said Evans, whose clients may be seeking
anything from an arthritis remedy to a tarot reading to a pink candle that
could be burned in the hope of kindling a romance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One book she recommends to those interested in learning more, "Zolar's
Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Knowledge," is a potpourri of
philosophies and practices. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Along with information about reading tea leaves, detecting auras around
other people and a brief explanation of dozens of divination methods, it
contains such proverbs from the kabbalah (ancient Jewish mysticism) as "He
alone can possess the pleasure of love who has conquered the love of pleasure"
and "All love emotions are expansive; emotions of hatred are restrictive." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some of the family's practices might sound fanciful to mainstream ears. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Our children do go out in the woods looking for elves and fairies,"
Rasimas said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And 5-year-old daughter Cody, visiting her parents' store Tuesday
afternoon, cuddles a plaster of paris skull she calls "Edgar." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the couple seem sincere as they offer advice: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Don't weaken yourself with alcohol or drugs, or you'll be more susceptible
to black magic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you fear that someone is trying to send misfortune your way, put a round
mirror or a bowl of water under your bed "to send it back." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Trust in your guardian angels," Evans said. "Talk to them. Most of all,
believe in them." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm a vessel," she said. "I've been given a great gift, the gift of
helping people to believe in themselves. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When in doubt," she continued, "turn it over to God and always remember,
sometimes God says no." Later she added, "If you put in `God,' put in
`Goddess,' too. I don't want to offend Christians or Wiccans." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER PHOTOS/CLARK VAN ORDEN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sherryl Evans, who operates a New Age store in Blakeslee, wants people to
know the positive side to `white magic.' Her daughter Cody Rasimas, 5, plays
with `Edgar,' a plaster of paris skull. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The purple candle is burning `to increase psychic awareness' near this
display of books that explain more about `white magic.' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`white Magic' New Age Couple Clarify Elements Of The Occult, Which Had Been Linked To Suicide Of Two Local Teens